July 1193: Richard Lionheart, eldest and most favored son of Dowager Queen
Eleanor of Aquitane, languishes in an Austrian dungeon, held for ransom by
the Holy Roman Emperor. Lusting after the crown in England, his brother John
plots with his country's bitterest foe, King Philippe of France, to see to
it Richard never leaves Austria alive. But the Queen has already begun to
meet the ransom demands, and it is only a matter of time before the
Austrians turn over their royal prisoner. And then one of the ransom
payments vanishes in the fastnesses of Wales, itself wracked by rebellion
and intrigue. Into this maelstrom, Eleanor sends her trusted man, Justin de
Quincy -- and murder soon follows.